1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an energy treatment instrument, and more particularly, to an energy treatment instrument equipped with an electrically conductive probe adapted to transmit high-frequency electric current and ultrasound vibration.
2. Description of Related Art
Surgical treatment instruments are used in surgery to administer treatments such as dissection and coagulation of living tissue. Surgical treatment instruments include a so-called scissors type used to carry out treatment by pinching a living tissue. Among scissors type, energy treatment instruments which utilize ultrasound vibration, in particular, are used frequently. The reason why the energy treatment instruments which utilize ultrasound vibration are used is that the instruments allow dissection and coagulation of living tissue to be performed simultaneously, using frictional heat produced by ultrasound vibration. Especially, in removal of blood vessels, the instruments allow the removal to be carried out relying on coagulation instead of ligation or clipping, providing various advantages including simplified surgical maneuvers, reduced stress on surgeons, and reduced physical burden on patients due to shortened surgical time and/or eliminated possibility of leaving foreign bodies.
Furthermore, an energy treatment instrument equipped with an electrically conductive probe adapted to transmit high-frequency electric current and ultrasound vibration and capable of simultaneously outputting both high-frequency electric current and ultrasound vibration has been proposed as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-261912. By simultaneously outputting high-frequency electric current and ultrasound vibration, the energy treatment instrument has the advantage of being able to dissect tissue faster and enable higher coagulability than conventional energy treatment instruments which utilize only ultrasound vibration. This provides merits including further reduction in surgical time, capability to coagulate and dissect thicker blood vessels, and more reliable coagulation and dissection of blood vessels without bleeding and a resulting sense of security on the part of the surgeon.